Susan Burkett is a “people person” and it shows. And that’s why she volunteers at MDC’s Welcome Desk, greeting the public and inviting them to get involved with the nonprofit nature center.
Susan was born in Virginia, but as a so-called “corporate brat,” her family moved often as her father’s career positions relocated their family to every corner of the nation. She and husband David moved to New Smyrna Beach four years ago from Orlando, and once she retired she immediately began volunteering at MDC.
Get to know Susan, who sat down with MDC staff writer Lisa D. Mickey and talked about the importance of volunteering.
What did you do in your career before you retired?
I was a medical sales rep and for the last seven years of my career I worked for Orlando Health in administration.
How and when did you get involved with Marine Discovery Center?
My husband and I bought our house in NSB 10 years ago. We were weekenders from Orlando. One night, we were waiting to get seated at Third Wave [restaurant] and met MDC founder Bruce Jaildagian and his wife Laura, who were also waiting to be seated. We started chatting and he talked about his background and what he had started here in New Smyrna at MDC. He explained his passion for the environment and for education of all ages and how educational programs can help create young environmentalists. That conversation was ironic because I’m very passionate about the health of the beaches and respecting the animals and the environment. My husband and I don’t walk on the beach without a garbage bag, picking up trash. If everybody picked up a couple of pieces of trash, we wouldn’t have an issue.
Where do you think you got that passion?
When I was young, our family moved to Southern California to a town called Ventura. It was a big surfing community with a lot of environmental efforts. That place always stuck with me, even after we moved away. I’m such a big animal lover and the joke in our house is that I can’t even watch the ASPCA ads on TV because I get angry and sad all at once.
So, when you retired, you suddenly had some extra time on your hands?
I always said that when I retired, I would volunteer. I retired fully 2½ years ago and I signed up in the next available volunteer [orientation] session in November 2024. I also volunteered on the Plein Air Paint Out committee and I met Wendy Castino [MDC’s volunteer coordinator] and [executive director] Chad Truxall. It was a no-brainer to volunteer at MDC as soon as I could.
What has been your volunteer role at MDC?
I work in the Welcome Center. It has fed my need to be around people. I like explaining all of the great things we do there and why visitors should join. I am very clear about how we are a nonprofit and that we are not funded by the state or the county. A lot of the nonprofits got hit really hard this year, so donations mean even more to us. People usually listen and donate what they can. I love promoting MDC’s Dolphin boat tours and kayak tours because that’s how we make money and that helps support our efforts to help the lagoon through all the conservation programs we’re involved in.
Why is it important for you to volunteer?
With my parents, giving back has always been a priority. My dad literally started speaking to us kids about giving back as soon as we could understand, and that part of being blessed with the life that we had was being able to give to others. Whether that was through church or civic programs, it was very clear to us that this was important. Very early on, through Heifer International, I joked that I was the only person I knew who got a chicken, a duck, a goat and a cow for Christmas. My dad volunteered. My birth mom passed away when I was 30, and later, my stepmom also volunteered. She has volunteered in Austin, Texas for 40 years. She’s a docent at the Texas Governor’s Mansion in Austin. So, volunteering has been modeled for my whole life. Honestly, I am the happiest when nobody’s paying me to do something.
What do you enjoy the most about volunteering at MDC?
I love the people, the kids and the things that kids say. I was recently corrected by a six-year-old who told me there was no such thing as a starfish – they are sea stars! A lot of the home-schooled kids who come in regularly are so passionate about coming to MDC. I see them as our hope for the future.
Do you have kids of your own?
I’m a stepmom with two boys who are grown and have daughters, my granddaughters. I didn’t get married until I was 50. I was married to my career and I traveled a lot for my job as a medical rep. At one time, I covered half of the United States as an oncology specialist. I traveled from Texas through the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast. That was not conducive to having a family, but I really loved my job. And nobody was asking me to be a wife or mother of their children, so I just kept working.
What have you learned about MDC since your first conversation with Bruce?
Just a sense of urgency about what we need to do environmentally. And also, seeing the impact of how MDC has affected people. I’ve met people who came to MDC summer camps as kids, and then volunteered, interned and are now working in some kind of marine science field. To me, that’s powerful because it’s everything that Bruce wanted it to be – just exposing a child to something, mentoring them and helping them turn a passion into a career. That’s something that can potentially save our environment. I love the staff and I see everybody’s passion. It fills my heart, so that’s why I try to promote MDC and educate people about it. Volunteering at MDC is very much about giving back to a place where I live.
I would guess you also have learned a lot about the coastal area since you moved here to live?
Oh, absolutely! Just the birds, turtles, octopuses, jellyfish and I even like the resident corn snake, and I’m not a big snake person. The whole environment is incredibly special to me.
How did you become involved with MDC’s Dolphin Society?
We did that in my father’s name – Paul Leeke — because he loved the outdoors and giving back. We were blessed with some inheritance with the stipulation that we donate a percentage of it. So, it’s in my father’s name from my husband David and me. He died last fall and this was my way of honoring him at MDC. It’s also my passion and where I want to put both my personal and financial efforts.
What is it you want to do in your community to make it better?
My feeling is, if you don’t get involved, then you’d better not complain about anything in your community. I believe in getting involved, knowing your community and knowing your neighbors. I need to feel connected. Growing up, we were always involved in civic programs and church programs. I just need to be doing something and participating in the health of my community. We support a few other things in New Smyrna and I believe that taking ownership of your community is what we all should do. I used to be the weekender who came over to the beach on Friday and left on Sunday. We really didn’t get involved. When we moved here, that changed.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned since becoming a volunteer at MDC?
I feel like we can do so much more, but we need money. Money is tough right now, but from my selling background of 40-plus years, I’ve talked to a few people about leveraging relationships with the corporate community and asking more of them. That’s something I want to help with, but overall, I’ve learned so much about the passion the MDC team has for what it does. It’s very contagious. It makes me want to do more because I want it to succeed and I want the dreams they have for a new education building and a new education boat to become reality. What MDC does is really important because if MDC doesn’t do it, who will?
If you had a chance to talk to Bruce again, what would you tell him MDC means to you now?
That it’s everything I thought it was and 100 times more! I thought what he started was pretty amazing and now, it’s embedded in my soul. I’ll volunteer there until I can’t volunteer any more. It all started with a conversation. What he said to me that day stuck with me for almost nine years and it became important for me to get involved. I would say to Bruce, thank you, and thank you for everything you have done in our community. MDC is an incredible place.
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